Electric cigar lighter



E. S. PRESTON ELECTRIC CIGAR LIGHTER Nov. 25 1924 Filed May 26. 1924 Edward Q5. Hej/50i? Patented Nov. 25, 1924.

UNITED STATES 1,511,098 PATENT oFFici-z.

EDWARD S. PRESTON, OF CHIC-AGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0' EDHUNDS JONES (10B.-` POBL'IIION,J OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A. CORPORATION 0F NEW YORK.

ELECTRIC CIGAR LIGHTER.

Application ledY lay `26, 1924. Sei-iai No. 715,915.

lighters of the generalv class in which an electrically heated wire is exposed at the mouth of a casing and is heated when lthe switching member of the appliance Vis actuated. f

Generally speaking, -my invention aims to provide a simple, inexpensive, compact and durable appliance of this kind in which the portion carrying the heating -wire can readily be removed and replaced without disconnecting the circuit wires from the appliance, and in which the heating wire can easily be replaced evenby an amateur. It

also provides ya cigar lighter of this general v class in which the switching member vis lnormally out of engagement with both of the contact elements through which it'is7 adapted to close the circuit and is mounted so as to adjust itself Ito variations in the relative positions of these contact elements,

and in which the switching member is also ada )ted to be moved during the operation of tlie device so as to present different portions thereof for engagement with the contact elements.

Furthermore,l my invention aims to provide a cigar lighter construction in which both of the circuit wire terminals are carried by one insulator and in which the heating wire is carried by another insulator spaced fro'm' the aforesaid insulator; in.

which a continuously closed circuit connection is made from the heating wire to one of the wire terminals through the metal casing .of the lighter and in which screws threaded into thecasing and forming part of this circuit connection alsohserve for holding the two insulators in their normal positions. .Moreoven my invention aims to rovide acigar lighter construction in w ich the switching member is carried by a plunger .mounted for movement transversely of the casing of the lighter and in which a simple spiral spring serves for retracting' the plunger. It also provides a novel mounting for the switching member whereby this member is free to tilt or rock to some vexf tent Vwith respect `to. the plunger so as to afford a good contact with the associated two contact members when the latter are not in exact aliiiement.

v Still further and also more detailed objects will appear from the following specification and from the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig. 1 is a side elevation of an'electric cigar lighter embodying my invention.`

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of lthe same.

Fig. 3 is .a central and longitudinal sec- -tion through the same, taken along the line 3`3 of Fig. 2.

F 4 is an enlarged and fragmentary section taken longitudinally of the casing through the `upper yportion of lthe actuating member when the 'circuit is closed through the latter, showing the switching member as tilted for engagement with two vcontact elements which are not in exact alinement.

Fig.V 5 is a fragmentary section taken centrally and longitudinally of the casing from theline 5-5 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the rear insulator before it is inserted in the casing, together with the two wire terminals. carried by this insulator.

Fig. 7 is asimilar erspective View of the forward insulator and) the elements mounted thereon. I f

In the embodiment of the drawings, the cigar lighter of my invention has a metal casin g comprising a substantially cylindrical shell 1l having a contracted and perforated rear end 2 and a forwardly flaring mouth. This flaring mouth serves to guide the end ofa cigar towards the high resistance heating wire 3 which i's disposed in spiral formation in the recess forward end ot an insulator 5 and this wire has its inner end portion 4 pro'ecting into the bofre of the insulator and'clamped within a hollow metal heater terminal 7 -by a bindingscrew 6, which screw also secures the heater terminal in fixed position with respect to the insulator 5. 'I'he outer end of the wire 3 is looped through a perforation in a metal clip till 'contact with the push member.

the said outer end of the heating wire by a screw 9 threaded into the wall 1 of the casing. p v y The heater terminal`7 projects rearwardly of the casing beyond the insulator 5 towards a wire terminal 11 which is partly housed by'another insulator 10 also mounted within the cylindrical shell 1 and projecting forwardly beyond that insulator, but the two terminals 7 and 11 are spaced from each other by a considerable distance to permit a spring and spring guide to extend between them out of contact with both. The wire terminal 11 desirably has its rear end bored out for receiving the ti of a circuit wire 12 so that this can be cliimped to the bore of the wire terminal by a screw 18 which has its head fitting a transverse bore in the insulator 10 so as to anchor the wire terminal 11 to -this rear insulator. The rearinsulator 1() also has a lateral recess, desirably in alinement with that in the forward insulator 5, and this recess houses a metal eye 14 through which the end of the companion circuit wire 22 is looped, after which this eye is forced towards the insulator 10 and into clamping relation to the said wire loop by a screw 15 threaded into the shell of the casing.

This shell 1 is provided at a point between the two insulators with two perforations disposed diametrically opposite each other. Threaded into one of these perforations is a screw 16 which has its main stem portion unthreaded and extending towards and desirably into the opposite perforation as shown in Fig. 4, this latter perforation being considerably larger in diameter than the said stem. Slid'ably mounted on this stem is a push member 17 which normally projects for a considerable distance beyond the casing and which has an insulating Washer 19 secured to its inner end. This insulating washer has a channel-sectional metal ring 20 spun around it, the ring having a bore so much greater than that of the inner end of the push member 17 so that the insulator will keep the rin out of l owever, the ring preferably is spun only loosely over the insulator, so that it can rock with respect to the latter. Moreover, the switching member (as thus constituted by the push member 17, the insulator 19 and the ringshaped contact member 20) is continuously urged towards the adjacent side of the metal shell by a spiral spring 18 interposed between the inner end of the push member and the threaded portion of the screw 16.,

lVith the parts thus arranged, it will be obvious from the drawings that the screws 9 and 15 cooperate with the metal shell of the casing to afford a continuous circuit connection from the wire 22 to the outer end of the heater wire, while the'connection between the inne-r end of this heater wire and the companion circuit wire 12 is normally interrupted by the gap between the heater terminal 7 and the wire terminal 11. lVhen the push member 17 is pressed inwardly of the casing against the resistance of the spring, the metal contact-member 20 is forced into engagement with the adjacent .end portions of the terminals 7 and 11, thereby closing the circuit as long as the button is pressed inwardly. By mounting the ring-shaped contact member 2() loosely on the washer 19, I permit this contact member to rock as shown in Fig. fl, thereby enabling it to afford a good circuitconnection even though the two terminals are not alined with each other.

Furthermore, since the push head 17 is freely rotatable on the stem 4, the ordinary and often careless pushing and pressing action 'of the users thumb on this push member will gradually rotate the latter and rotate the contact member with it, thereby causing the latter to present fresh portions in engagement with the terminals 7 and 11. Consequently, my simple arrangement insures clean and firm contacts, while the use of a spiral compression spring enables me to avoid the changes which commonly occur in flat springs and particularly when these are also used for carrying the current after the manner heretofore employed in electric cigar lighter constructions. By anchoring the insulating washer 19 to the push member 17, I can employ the wall of the casing as a stop for limiting the outward movement of the switching member, so that no auxiliary element is needed for this purpose, and by arranging the screws 9 and 15 as above described, I cause these to serve the further purposes of holding the two insulators in their normal positions.

Should the heating wire be damaged or burn out at any time, the forward insulator and the parts carried by the latter can instantly be withdrawn after merely removing the screw 9 without disconnecting the circuit wires or the switching means from the casing. Consequently, a renewal of the heating `wire can be made very quickly even by the ordinary user.

ln practice, l desirably slip an insulating washer 2l into the s ace between the contracted rear end 2 o the casing and the rear insulator,so as to receive the thrust from the usual knot in the circuit wires, thereby preventing any undue pulling strain onv these wires from loosening the connections to the wires. However, l do not wish to be limited to these or other details of the construction and arrangement here disclosed, it beingl obvious that the same might be modified in many ways without departing either from the spirit of my invention or from the appended claims.

claim as my invention 1. A cigar lighter comprising a frontal heating wire, a rearwardly extending heater terminal connected to one end of the heating wire, a wire terminal spaced from the heater terminal, a circuit connection to the other end of the heating wire, a plunger yieldingly mounted for movement transverselyoi the Said terminals, and a contact member carried by the plunger and adapted to engage both terminals.

2. A cigar lighter comprising a frontal heating Wire, a rearwardly extending heater terminal connected to lone end of the heating wire, a wire terminal spaced from the heater terminal, a circuit connection to the other end of the heating wire, a plunger yieldingly mounted for movement transversely ofthe said terminals, and a contact member carried by the plunger and adapted to engage both terminals, the contact member being mounted to permit tilting 'thereof with respect to the plunger.

3. A cigar lighter comprising a frontal heating wire, a. rearwardly extending heater terminal connected to one end of the heating Wire, a wire .terminal spaced from the heater terminal, a circuit connection to the other end of the heating wire, a plunger yieldingly'mounted for movement transversely of the said terminals, an insulator fast on thel plunger, and a contact member so mounted on the insulator as to permit a rocking thereof on the insulators p 4. A. cigar lighter comprising a frontal heating wire, a rearwardly extending heater terminal connected to one end of the heatlti ingv wire, a lwire terminal spaced from the heater terminal, a circuit connection tothe other end of the heating wire, a plunger yicldingly mounted for movement transversely ofthe said terminals, and a contact member carriedv by the plunger and adaptedl to engage both terminals, the contact member comprising `an insulator fast upon the plunger and a metal ring loosely spun over the edge of the insulator.

An electric cigar lighter comprising a forwardly open casing, a heater terminal and a wire terminal both mounted within the casing and having relatively adjacent portions spaced from each other, a heating wire connected at one end to the heater terminal, circuit connections leading respectively to the other end of the heater terminal and' to the wire terminal, a contact member mounted for movement towards and away from the said adjacent terminal portions and adapted to engage bothot the said portions simultaneously, and spring means normally holding the contact member out oi such engagement.

6. An electric cigar lighter comprising a forwardly open casing, a heater terminal and a wire terminal both mounted within the casing and having relatively adjacent termina portions spaced from each other, a heating Wire connected at one end t0 ,the heater terminal, circuit connections leading respectively to the other end of the heater terminal and to the wire terminal, a pair of insulators mounted in the casing behind each other and respectively supporting the two terminals, a Contact member mounted 'for movement transversely of the casing towards and away from the said adjacent terminal portions and adapted to engage both of the said portions simultaneously, and spring means normally holding the Contact member out oi such engagement. l

7 An electric cigar lighter comprising a forwardly open' casing, a heater terminal and a wire terminal both mounted within the casing and having relatively adjacent portions spaced irom each other, a heating wire connected at one end to the heater terminal, circuit connections leading respectively to the other end of the heater terminal and to the wire terminal, a guide memher extending transversely of the casing, a Contact carrier slidably mounted on the guide member for movement towards .and away from the said adjacent terminal p01'- t-ions, a contact member carried by the car rier adapted to engage both ot' the said portions simultaneously, and spring means normally retracting the Contact carrier to hold the cont-act member out oi such engagement.

8. An electric cigar lighter comprising a forwardly open casing, a heater terminal and a wire terminal ,both mounted Within the casing and having relatively adjacent portions spaced from each other, a heating wire connected at one end to the heater terminal, circuit connections leadingl respectively to the other end of the heater 'terminal and to the wire terminal, a guide member extending transversely ci. the casing, a contact carrier slidably mounted on the guide member for movement towards and away from the said adjacent terminal portions, a contact member carried by the carrier adapted to engage both ot the said portions simultaneously, and spring means normally rctracting the Contact carrier to hold the contact member out ot such engagement, the contact carrier having a portion projecting through the casing.

9, An electric cigar lighter comprising a v'forwardly open casing, a heater terminal and a wire terminal both mounted "within the casing and having relatively adjacent yportions spaced 'from each other, heating 10. A cigar lighter comprising' a heating.

wire, a heater terminal connected to one end thereof, a wire terminal supported iny spaced relation 'to the heater terminal, a source of current having one pole connected to the wire terminal and the other pole connected Vto the. other end of the heater terminal, an actuating member slidably mounted for movement-towards and away from the said two terminals, a metal contact member rockingly mounted on the actuating member and adapted to engage both of the said terminals when moved -in one direction, and spring means continuously urging the actuating member in the opposite direction.

l1. An electric cigar lighter comprising a metal casing, a pair of insulators mounted therein and spaced longitudinally of the casing, a. heater terminal and a wire terminal respectively mounted on the forward and rear insulators and projecting towards each other, a heating wire carried by the forward insulator and having its ends respectively connected to the heater terminal and the casing, a metal switching member movable transversely of the casing and adapted to contact with both of the said terminals, and yielding means normally holding the switching member out of contact with both terminals. u

12. An electric cigar lighter comprising a metal casing, a pair of insulators mounted therein and spaced longitudinally of the casing, a heater terminal and a wire termi? nal respectively mounted on the forward and rear insulators andprojecting towards each other, a heating wire carried by the forward insulator and having one end connected to the heater terminal, a conducting' member carried by the forward insulator and connected to the other end of the heating wire, a second conducting member carried by the rear insulator,'a movable switching member operable from outside the casing for electrically connecting the heater terminal with the wire terminal, and means electrically connecting both of the conducting members with the metal casing.

13. An electric cigar lighter comprising a metal casing, a pair of insulators mounted therein and spaced longitudinally of the casing, a heater terminal anda wire terminal respectively mounted .on the forward and rear insulators and projecting towards each other, a heating wire carried by the forward insulator and having one end connected to the heater terminal, a conducting member carried by the forward insulator and connected to the other end of the hea-ting wire, a 'second conducting member carried by the rear insulator, a movable switching member operable from outside the casing for electrically connecting the heater terminal with the wire terminal, and a pair of screws respectively electrically connecting the two conducting members with the metal casing.

14. An electric cigar lighter comprising a metal casing, a pair of insulators mounted therein and spaced longitudinally of the casing, a heater terminal and a wire terminal respectively mounted on the forward and rear insulators and projecting towards each other, a heating wire carried by the forward insulator and having one end connected to the heater terminal, a conducting member carried by the forward insulatoi` and connected to the other end of the heating wire, a second' conducting member carried |by the rear insulator, a movable switchlng member operable from outside the casing for electrically connecting the heater terminal with the wire terminal, and a pair A of screws respectively electrically connecting the two 'conducting members with the metal casing, the screws serving also to anchor the insulators in their respective positions in the casing.

192S-/gned at Chicago, Illinois, May 23rd,

EDVARD S. PRESTON. 

